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| Soul Harverster04-17-08, 01:25 PM | Deathbringer Picture URL "Death comes for you! Feel its icy breath!" ---Sarevok Anchev, a Deathbringer. Deathbringers. Warriors that study the art of intimidation and the cruelest and most brutal styles of combat. Powerful, ruthless and focused warriors possessing the abilities to slaughter weaker opponents in mere seconds, cheating death itself, having the uncanny ability to be quite aware of their opponents wounds, as well as being able to inflict the most grievous of injuries to the most powerful of opponents or even kill them, in a single, massive blow; much to the horror of their allies. The Lord of Murder's own Knights of Death; feared through out the Realms. Woe to those that face them in mêlée combat. BECOMING A DEATHBRINGER The path of a Deathbringer is mostly popular (and feasible) among fighters, due the abilities of a Deathbringer and the requirements. Templars* occasionally find the path to be interesting and the religious aspect of the class fits quite well with them, although they are not always able to meet the requirements. Most other classes are unable to meet all the requirements, do not appreciate the fighting style, shun it due the brutality involved, are not sufficiently dedicated or have too little of a connection with the Church of Bhaal. Most races are also unsuitable for the same reasons. Only Humans, Hobgoblins and the occasional Orog tend to become Deathbringers. It also is fairly popular among the Undead that have a martial bent, such as Death Knights. *variant Paladin of mine. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS To qualify to become a Deathbringer, a character must fulfil all the following criteria: Base Attack Bonus: +9 Skills: Concentration 4 ranks, Intimidate 13, Knowledge (Religion) 3 ranks Feats: Iron Will, Power Attack Alignment: Any Evil. Lawful Evil Deathbringers are the most numerous and Neutral Evil is not far behind. Chaotic Evil Deathbringer exist, but are scarce due the nature of their deity and the dedication necessary to become a Deathbringer Weapon Proficiency: Proficient with any two handed weapon (Martial or Exotic). Special: Any potential candidate will go through a short, yet brutal training regiment that lasts for 13 days in one of the bases of the organisation(which needs one NPC with at least 3 Deathbringer levels). Those that are found lacking do not become a Deathbringer and are either suggested to appease the Lord of Murder in a different fashion, or if their performance was pathetic, they are used as test subjects by other candidates. Those that do not have exceptional strength(18 or higher) will find that they are unable to muster the minimum amount of force required to successfully land a Deathbringer Assault, those that do not have well above average intelligence are unable to properly comprehend the relatively complex knowledge training methods of the Deathbringers, those that do not have sufficient constitution(14 CON) will fail to cope with the brutal training regiment and anybody that has well below average dexterity, wisdom and charisma are either too slow to properly follow the training, too short-sighted to appreciate the precision involved or simply do not have the minimum required force of personality to actually pass in the eyes of other Deathbringers. Finally, once a candidate has successfully passed the training, he is required to sign a certain contract. Quite akin to how the Baatezu work, Bhaal has decreed that all that join the ranks of the Deathbringers, need to sign a contract made from their own flayed skin(typically from the back) and, of which all the print(including the signed part) is written in the blood of the signee. Signing this contract entitles the Lord of Murder to claim the signee's soul, if he ever forsakes his deity or instructs a non Bhaal-worshipper in the ways of the Deathbringer. Once the contract is signed, the character can now call himself a Deathbringer. When not travelling incognito, a Deathbringer has a variant of the unholy symbol of Bhaal engraved in the middle of his armour. This is almost identical to normal unholy symbol, except that the tear drops are replaced by blood drops. Class Skills A Deathbringer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str) Skills Points at Each Level : 2 + Int modifier. Hit Dice: D10 BAB Fort Ref Will Abilities 1. +1 +2 +0 +2 Aura of Evil, Deathbringer Assault(Ex), Numbed(Ex), Intimidation(Ex), Death Blow 1/day(Ex) 2. +2 +3 +0 +3 Bonus Feat: Endurance, Hand of Murder 1/day(Su), Death Blow 2/day(Ex) 3. +3 +3 +1 +3 Resistant to Pain(Ex), Executioner's Sight(30 ft, Su), Death Blow 3/day(Ex) 4. +4 +4 +1 +4 Bonus Feat: Mutilator, Death Blow 4/day(Ex) 5. +5 +4 +1 +4 Gruesome Deathbringer Assault(Su), Death Blow 5/day(Ex) 6. +6 +5 +2 +5 Hand of Murder 2/ day, Death Blow 6/day 7. +7 +5 +2 +5 Bonus Feat: Diehard, Cheat Death(Ex), Death Blow 7/day(Ex) 8. +8 +6 +2 +6 Death Blow 8/day(Ex) 9. +9 +6 +3 +6 Executioner's Sight(60 ft), Death Blow 9/day(Ex) 10. +10 +7 +3 +7 Aspect of Murder(Su), Hand of Murder 3/Day, Greater Deathbringer Assault(Ex), Death Blow 10/day(Ex) Weapon Proficiencies: Deathbringers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armour (heavy, medium, and light) Aura of Evil(Ex) The power of a Deathbringer's aura of evil (see the detect evil spell) is equal to his class level plus his cleric level, if any. Deathbringer Assault(Ex) Deathbringers are intimately familiar with where, exactly, are the weakest points in a creature's body. While these tiny spots are difficult to successfully hit, if a Deathbringer does succeed, the results are impressive indeed. Every blow a Deathbringer lands has a chance of 2.5% to do 10 extra damage per Deathbringer level. If power attack is activated and the user takes at least an attack penalty of -5, the chance is increased by 2.5%. Additionally, if the target is in a situation in which he loses his dexterity bonus to AC, the chance is increased by another 2.5%; this stacks with the increase given by power attack. A coup de grace automatically triggers a Deathbringer Assault. The damage is of the same type of the base weapon used, but it is not multiplied by critical hits. All damage from Deathbringer assault is quartered against creatures with immunity to critical hits. Deathbringer Assault does not work if the Deathbringer uses his weapon to deal non-lethal damage, if his weapon is not a martial or exotic two-handed weapon, or if the opponent is not adjacent to the Deathbringer. If a Deathbringer Assault brings a character to the dying condition, consider the character to be dead instead(and thus, killed by the Deathbringer assault). Characters killed by a Deathbringer Assault are considered to be killed by a non-magical Death Effect . Finally, if a Deathbringer assault slays a living creature, the Deathbringer can attempt to demoralize all opponents within 30 feet that witness the action. If it doesn't slay a character, he can still attempt to demoralize his target. In both cases, the normal rules for Demoralizing Opponents apply, except that the shaken effect lasts for 1 round + 1/2 round for every Deathbringer level and that its a free action. If the Deathbringer's strength is ever reduced to 14 or less or if his intelligence is ever reduced to 10 or less, he can not land a Deathbringer Assault. Death Blow(Ex) The Deathbringer has studied anatomy quite intently, allowing him to strike at certain points of the body with lethal results . Once per day for every Deathbringer class level, a Deathbringer can attempt to instantly slay certain opponents. If an opponent has the same amount of HP as 4 x the character level of the Deathbringer is hit by a Deathblow that successfully deals damage, he needs to make a Fortitude save(DC 10+ Deathbringer's class level + the Deathbringer's strength modifier) or die. This is considered to be a non-magical death effect. The Death Blow is resolved afterthe normal damage of the attack. Death Blow does not work if the Deathbringer uses his weapon to deal non-lethal damage, if his weapon is not a martial or exotic two-handed weapon, or if the opponent is not adjacent to the Deathbringer. If the Deathbringer's strength is ever reduced to 14 or less or if his intelligence is ever reduced to 10 or less, he can not land a Death Blow. Numbed(Ex) A Deathbringer's brutal training has left it completely numb to fear(magical or otherwise). He also gains as +2 on his saving throws against any other effects that depend on emotions. Deathbringers are incapable of genuinely caring for and loving others, as his training has left him partly deadened. ''Friends'' are individuals that a Deathbringer respects and finds useful; nothing more. Intimidation(Ex) The body language, reputation and training of Deathbringers puts most at unease. Deathbringers gain a bonus to their intimidation modifier equal to the amount of levels in the Deathbringer class. They can demoralize an opponent as a swift action, instead of a standard action. Resistant to Pain(Ex) Exposure and learning to ignore it, the Deathbringer has build up resistance against pain. He gains a +4 saving throw bonus against pain effects. Bonus Feat: Endurance The Deathbringer gains Endurance as a bonus feat. Hand of Murder(Su) The Deathbringer may channel a fraction of Bhaal's power into his weapon, for one round. The Deathbringer does 3 points of extra damage per hit, while also healing the Deathbringer for same amount. If the healing brings the character's HP above the maximum, the excess is considered to be temporary HP, which disappears 1 hour later. The damage and healing is multiplied on critical hits. This ability works the other way around if used against Undead and does not work at all against Constructs. It takes a swift action to activate Hand of Murder. Hand of Murder does not work if the Deathbringer uses his weapon to deal non-lethal damage. Executioner's Sight (Su, 30 ft) The Deathbringers gains the Executioner's Sight ability, as to make him a better instrument of murder. It provides darkvision and he can see if a creature is alive, dead, undead or neither alive or dead(constructs). Additionally, he can monitor the health of creatures and see if they can potentially be affected by a Death Blow or are close to this state; this does not apply for undead or creatures that are neither alive or dead. Possible Results: -10 or less: Dead -1 or less: Dying 0: Disabled 5 HP or less: Fragile 15 HP or less: Feeble 25 HP or less: Weak 10% or less of maximum HP left: Near Death 25% or less of maximum left: Grievously Injured 40% or less of maximum left: Seriously Injured 60% or less of maximum left: Injured X4 the Deathbringer's HD in HP or less: Qualifies for a Death Blow X4 the Deathbringer's HD in HP +20 or less: Nearly Qualifies for a Death Blow. In the case of that a creature fits into multiple categories, the Deathbringer is aware of all. It sees through any spell or ability that allows creatures to feign death, but it does not automatically reveal the presence of invisible or hidden creatures. Bonus Feat: Mutilator The Deathbringer gains Mutilator as bonus feat(Champions of Ruin, page 20). Gruesome Deathbringer Assault(Su) The Deathbringer has mastered the art of making the deaths of any his targets caused by his Deathbringer assault to be as bloody as possible. If a Deathbringer slays a living creature with a Deathbringer Assault, he may opt to make it a Gruesome Deathbringer Assault. This causes the Deathbringer Assault to be particularly bloody. All that are within five feet of the of the creature slain, need to make a Will save(DC 10+ Deathbringer's class level + the Deathbringer's strength modifier) to avoid becoming sickened for 1 +1/2 rounds for every Deathbringer Level. A Deathbringer can also decide to make it an extraordinary ability instead of a supernatural, but this makes the ability less spectacular, as it completely dependent the Deathbringer and there isn't a divine '' finishing touch'' added by the Lord of Murder himself. Thusly, the Difficulty Class of the ability is reduced by 10 points. Deathbringers that have this ability are immune to it(and similiar effects) and gain a +2 saving to avoid becoming sickened or nauseated in general. Bonus Feat: Diehard The Deathbringer gains Diehard as a bonus feat. Cheat Death(Ex) The Deathbringer becomes able to scorn death itself, his own will allowing him to remain standing once his body fails him. If a Deathbringer is brought down to 0 or negative hit points, he may make Will save(DC equals the amount of negative hit points) to avoid becoming disabled, dropping unconscious or dying. Each time the Deathbringer takes more damage, he needs to make another save. If a Deathbringer does not take any damage at all in a single round, he makes one save instead. Death effects, death from massive death, disintegration, ability drain/damage and similiar effects bypass this. Aspect of Murder(Su) The Deathbringer may call upon a fairly a significant amount of power from the Lord of Murder. As his eyes turn blood red and his patron's hatred and blood lust seeps into him, he gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +2 bonus to Constitution, a movement speed increase of 10 feet, a +5 bonus on his intimidate score, a +10 bonus to the save to Cheat Death, a +5 to the DC of Gruesome Deathbringer Assault, a +2.5% increase to land a Deathbringer Assault and Hand of Murder and Death Blow ; all for the entire duration of the Aspect of Murder ability. The ability lasts for 1/2 round per Deathbringer level and all bonuses are considered to be Profane in nature. While the Aspect of Murder ability is active, the Deathbringer can not do any sub-dual damage , all Deathbringer Assaults are considered to be ''gruesome'' nor can he cease combat. The Deathbringer becomes exhausted afterwards, even if normally immune to exhaustion (such as in the case of undead). Instead of needing 1 hour of rest, the Deathbringer needs 2 hours of rest to become fatigued. Activating the Aspect of Murder ability is considered to take a standard action Greater Deathbringer Assault(Ex) At level 10, all damage is halved instead of quartered against creatures with immunity to critical hits. Code of Conduct A Deathbringer needs to slay at least one sentient individual each week in mêlée .If he fails to do so, he is unable to trigger Deathbringer Assaults or use his Hand of Murder, Death Blow and Aspect of Murder abilities, until he slays at least a number of sentient individuals equal to 1+1 per day after the first week passed. A Deathbringer is forbidden to instruct any individuals in the ways of a Deathbringer that do not worship Bhaal. Only Bhaal himself, Avatars of Bhaal, Aspects of Bhaal, Bhaal's Proxy and Chosen of Bhaal can give permission for such an action. The Deathbringer is required to show no mercy to his opponents and serve his deity; such as acquiring more followers for The Lord of Murder, eliminating those that oppose his deity, performing services for the church, increase Bhaal's infamy and so on. This is far less strict than it seems though, as it's almost inevitable that the Deathbringer does one or more of the examples mentioned in the course of his adventures. Ex-Deathbringers The contract that a Deathbringer needs to sign(mentioned earlier) is relatively full proof; to the extent that they nearly always have certain magical spells on them, that allow Bhaal to claim the soul as soon as the contract is violated. Even if an individual manages to bypass the contract, he can simply /count/ on having assassins send after him and his family(if found prudent). This ensures that Ex-Deathbringers are quite rare. An Ex-Deathbringer is unable to use all supernatural abilities granted by the class and may not advance further in the class. He regains his abilities and advancement potential if he ''atones'' for his violations (see the atonement spell description), as appropriate. Non-Bhaalist Deathbringers The vast majority worships Bhaal, mostly due the contract involved when one wants to become a Deathbringer, but given what entire class focused on; Bhaal is also a most fitting deity. However, non-Bhaalist Deathbringers do exist. Such individuals are usually allowed to become a Deathbringer as the result of a deal between high placed servants of Bhaal and high placed servants of another deity. The contracts of these individuals do not force them to worship Bhaal, but they still are forbidden to instruct others in the ways of the Deathbringers. The following estimations can made about the percentage of the religion of Deathbringers: 75% worship Bhaal, 7.5% worship Bane, another 7.5% worship Myrkul and the remaining 10% is taken by other deities(Nomog-Geaya, Inneval and Set) and Archfiends(Bel); including those that can not grant spells to their clerics in Aber-Toril (Nerull, Hextor, Chemosh). PLAYING A DEATHBRINGER You are feared. Realize this and take advantage of it, but be careful not to overdo it, as those that are feared are often hated too. In fact, you will likely be confronted frequently by do-gooders if they are aware of just what you are. Given the training you endured and the contract you signed, you are likely a fanatic to some extent. Despite this, your training has taught you to be calculating; as rash actions are not the best way to serve the Lord of Murder. You are favoured by your deity, as your position in Bhaal's Church is special; Deathbringers are nearly of equal status as Priests and have a status that is even above most Divine Champions and Templars. Nevertheless, you have relatively little responsibilities and can mostly serve your lord as you see fit. You despise most non-evil characters, as you find a great many of their morals and ethics pathetic. You do get along with a fair amount of evil characters though; especially those that follow the Dark Triad. Despite the rather focused path you take, you will find that your skills are quite in demand among various nefarious organizations; be it as an enforcer in the criminal underworld, part of a military strike team or as the oppressor and executioner of a community. You can even be a successful leader; as you can cow your rivals into submission and enforce loyalty through fear alone among your followers. Combat Deathbringers typically are very calculating and belong in the front lines. Executioner's Sight allows them to be quite aware of how combat is going for their opponents and they make excellent use of this knowledge. On his own, this means that Deathbringer is capable of determining whether power attack is worth it or not, when somebody qualifies for a Deathblow, maximize the use of Cleave(a feat most Deathbringers would have) and if it would be worthwhile to use one of their more limited abilities(Hand of Murder and Aspect of Murder). Hand of Murder is a somewhat decent way to heal yourself slightly, while also doing more damage to your opponents and without wasting any time. The Aspect of Murder ability is quite potent , but as a Deathbringer is very vulnerable afterwards, they use it sparingly. They are rather careful when engage undead and constructs, seeing those are immune to most of their abilities. When not alone, a Deathbringer most often shares what he sees with his allies, which can highly increase the efficiency of a team; especially if they are facing opponents of which the naked eye is unable to determine how injured(or weak) they are. While Deathbringers can potentially wade into battle due that most opponents are reluctant at best to face him and that the shock factor of Deathbringer Assault can prove to be quite effective against large groups, they prefer to go in as second, seeing as they tend not to make use of shields. Advancement As a Deathbringer, your role is to slaughter lesser foes quickly, make opponents reluctant to fight you and your party and potentially bring down tough opponents with one solid strike. Feats Cleave and Great Cleave are excellent choices, both feats work especially well with Deathblow, while they also increase the chance of landing a Deathbringer Assault that round; as you have more attacks than normal. You should consider taking Improved Sunder, as sunder has the potential to allow you to lower your opponents AC by sundering his shield; making the use of power attack more viable and thus increasing your chance of landing a Deathbringer Assault. If you happen to have a fairly high dexterity modifier, Combat Reflexes is a decent choice, for the same reasons as Cleave and Great Cleave. Skills Continuing to invest in Intimidate will mean that most attempts you make to demoralize opponents will succeed. If you invest in both Sense Motive and Intimidate, you will be quite a decent interrogator. Knowledge: Religion is useful due the place your take in and it allows you to differentiate between undead better; one of the rare groups of creatures against which most of your abilities are mostly useless. Equipment Most of your desired equipment is similiar to that of a fighter. There are a few things that are of particular interest to you, though. If your armour has the ''Hideous'' property(Champions of Ruin, page 4) , you would be virtually able to demoralize all of your opponents. For your weapon, it's an idea to simply stick to enchantment bonuses, although the ''Unholy'' property would be advantageous, as its inevitable that you will encounter plenty of do-gooders. Other than that, it would be wise to acquire equipment that increases your Strength score. Resources You primarily need to depend on yourself; but you have little trouble in finding a party interested in providing you with resources, if you perform a service for them. The same applies for your Church, although you might be able to acquire goods at lower prices than the typical market price already, without performing any specific services. DEATHBRINGERS IN THE WORLD '' ....Then this… beast just started to cleave through my squad, each blow killing one veteran soldier. One even seemed to explode, as blood sprayed in my face, bone shards lodged into my armor and skin and bits of flesh got plastered over me. I broke formation and ran away, I ran as fast as I could and never looked back...'' -- Jack Edess, ''hardened'' mercenary. As mentioned before, Deathbringers are feared through out the realms. Their reputation is such that wherever a Deathbringer goes, people that are familiar with them prefer to quietly walk away and hide when a Deathbringer is around. Guards tighten the grip on their weapons and hope that their community has done nothing to attract the ire of the Deathbringer. Merchants are quick to decrease their prices when trading with a Deathbringer, as to avoid angering him. Even when a community can overcome a single Deathbringer, they prefer to leave him in peace as long as the Deathbringer does more or less the same; as they realize that the Deathbringer will very likely take several individuals with him into the grave, if attacked. Not to mention that killing one Deathbringer, can attract the attention of the Church of Bhaal. However, paladins and their ilk find stopping evil outweighing most consequences and are inclined to confront Deathbringers whenever they believe they have sufficient power to deal with one of them. Similiary, non-evil adventurers often hunt Deathbringers as killing one certainly is a way to make a name for oneself. Unscrupulous individuals on the other hand, tend to greatly respect Deathbringers and even admire them to some extent; being a Deathbringer is seen as a sign of status in evil societies. In fact, if a Deathbringer goes somewhere, he will often be approached by agents of local, malignant organizations or religions. They work tremendously well with Dreadmasters (Faiths and Pantheons, page 188) in particular. Daily Life The daily life of a Deathbringer can vary greatly, due many have a mercenary-like lifestyle. However, all Deathbringers have something in common; wherever they go, they tend to leave a trail of (disfigured) corpses. Notables Sarevok Anchev. (((I don't believe I really need to detail him given how well-known he is, but you can always look at http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Sarevok if you want to))) Organizations The Deathbringers themselves are not a real independent organisation, more of a martial arm of the Church of Bhaal. Other than the Church of Bhaal, Deathbringers are employed by all sorts of evil organisations in Faerun; such as the Shadow Thieves, Knights of the Shields, Red Wizards, Iron Throne; although the Zhentarim make use of them the most. DEATHBRINGER LORE Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can research Deathbringers to learn more about them. When a character succeeds on a skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. DC 10: Deathbringers are vile warriors in service of Bhaal, infamous for their abilties that allow them opponents with a single blow. DC 20: Deathbringers tend to have a fairly mercenary-like lifestyle and despite their status in the Church of Bhaal, are fairly free to honor their deity as they wish. This also makes an individual aware of the variant symbol of Bhaal Deathbringer use. DC 25: It is rumoured that a Deathbringer temporarily loses some of his powers if he does not slay at least one sentient individual each week in mêlée. Some of their abilities are said to not be usable by a Deathbringer, if his strength or intelligence is sufficiently decreased. They are said to have signed a soul-binding contract made out of their flesh that prevents them from leaving Bhaal or instructing somebody in the techniques that does not worship Bhaal. DC35: Characters who achieve this level of success can learn important details about Deathbringers in your campaign, including organizations that make use of them, notable members, the areas where they currently operate, and the kinds of activities they undertake. DEATHBRINGERS IN THE GAME Deathbringers are obviously a Forgotten Realms specific Prestige Class. Given the ''official'' status of Bhaal at the moment, there are multiple ways that you can make use of the Deathbringers in your campaign, some having specific consequences for the class: 1: The Time of Troubles never happened Nothing needs to be changed about the class. 2: The Campaign takes place before the Time of Troubles. Same result as 1. 3: Bhaal survived the Time of Troubles. Mostly the same result as 1, although their numbers would have decreased due casualties taken during the Time of Troubles. 4: A Bhaalspawn ascended to become the new Lord of Murder This has as a result that the soul-binding aspect of old contracts no longer ''work'', making it more viable for there to be traitorous Deathbringers and consequently, more non Bhaal worshipping Deathbringers. Depending on the whims of the new Lord of Murder, their place in the Church of Bhaal might also change, depending on what he puts emphasis on. Again, as the Time of Troubles took place, this would have negatively affected their numbers. 5: Bhaal did not survive the Time of Troubles nor did a Bhaalspawn become the new Lord of Murder Mostly the same result as 4, but the class would no longer be specific to Bhaal worshippers. It would be popular among worshippers of Iyachtu Xvim/ Bane, given the focus the class has on dread, and most old Deathbringers would convert to him. While it might seem appropriate for there to be Cycrist Deathbringers, keep in mind that a fair amount of discipline is required to become a Deathbringer; not a trait most Cycrists are known for. Once again, as the the Time of Troubles took place, this would have negatively affected their numbers. Other factors to take in account: The status of Cyric If Cyric is a deity, most Deathbringers would have an attitude similar to that of Banenites towards him. They would see him as an incompetent fool that got his divinity almost solely based on luck. If Cyric is a deity while Bhaal still is a deity as well(or a Bhaalspawn has become the new Lord of Murder), it can be assumed that Bane and Bhaal would team up on Cyric and that Deathbringers would be frequently participate in the ''crusade'' of Bhaal and Bane against Cyric. The status of Myrkul and Bane These deities would be among the very select group of deities that have a few of their own Deathbringers; ''licensed'' by Bhaal through special agreements with such deities. If these deities are not alive(or only one is), the Deathbringer Prestige Class is even more exclusive than it already is. Adaptation It's possible that you do not want to have the Deathbringer to be mostly limited to worshippers of Bhaal. This is mostly a flavour change and matters little for the abilities of the class. You also might want to have the Deathbringer not have to do anything with religion at all; in that case however, you likely want to remove the supernatural abilities of the class and replace them with something else. Naturally, you might simply not play in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting(or Planescape). In that case, the Deathbringer(as written) is best suited for worshippers of grim-reaper style death gods(Nerull, Chemosh), assassin gods(Set) and evil martial deities that put emphasis on discipline and self-control(Hextor, Inneval, Nomog-Geaya, Bel). Example are given in parentheses. Finally, in my campaign, Bhaal is a very cunning deity and a bit more sophisticated than the ''official'' Bhaal. If you don't consider Bhaal to be a smart deity you could consider to remove the contract requirement(or if you simply dislike the contract requirement in the first place), leading to that non-Bhaalist Deathbringers are more common. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Credits This Prestige Class is obviously a tribute to the Baldur's Gate series; as the Deathbringer concept was invented by Bioware in the first place. The Hand of Murder ability is quite similiar to the Hand of Murder ability found in David Gaider's Improved Bhaalspawn Powers Modification for Baldur's Gate II:Throne of Bhaal. The Death Blow ability is based on the high level ability of the same name found in Baldur's Gate II:Throne of Bhaal. The Cheat Death ability is based on the ability of the same name ,taken from an other Deathbringer Prestige Class that was once upon a time located the forums of the Player Resource Consortium(Author: BulletCatcher). Thanks also go to a few people on my msn list for advice and editing. Notes I'm fully aware that it is likely overpowered compared to a normal fighter. I don't think that is a fair comparison though; as, at least in my opinion, the standard fighter in 3.5(even if you use a lot of books) is rather mediocre. Your better off comparing it to more a balanced fighter. Nevertheless, I still am kind of interested to receive comments about if its balanced enough; despite the difficulties associated with that(due my opinion about the standard fighter). Still, if you want it to be more balanced compared to the standard fighter, you are likely best off removing the Hand of Murder, Aspect of Murder and perhaps even Executioner's Sight abilities. Comments, questions and suggestions are welcome. |